How To Host Online Contests For Successful Marketing Results

Online contests are promotional schemes that are held over the internet, usually through the company’s website or social media. There are dozens of online business contest ideas available for marketing professionals to take advantage of. However, in order to have a successful turnout for your event, you will need to do some careful planning. If you are a marketing professional interested in learning how to make your online contests a hit for your business, keep reading below.

Step 1: Set A Target Goal

The first thing that you must do when hosting an online contest is set a target goal. This will give you a way to measure your contest’s success in the future. Additionally, it can help you to frame the contest around your specific goal. For example, if your hope is to increase social media followers, you can make it a rule that all entrants must be following your accounts. Take the time to share this goal with your team using collaboration software. With a goal in mind, you will be well prepared to host a successful contest.

Step 2: Determine The Prize

Once you have a goal in mind, it is important to choose the right prize. Generally, you want the prize to be big enough to create a buzz, but not so expensive that it surpasses any benefits the contest may have for your business. Find a happy medium in order to et the best results. Consider offering limited edition items from your company as a way to increase the value. A great prize is the perfect way to increase the turnout for your contest.

Step 3: Provide An Incentive

Aside from the prize, it is also a good idea to provide an incentive for all contest entrants. A small promotional gift will help encourage customers to enter while also keeping the focus on your business. A small discount on one of your most popular products or a free ebook or music download can make customers even more inclined to enter than the prize. Knowing that they will receive something in return is the key to customer participation.

Step 4: Use All Social Media

One mistake that many businesses make when creating online contests is that they keep it condensed to one place. Whether the contest is held on your website or Twitter account, it is important that you continue to promote it across all social media channels. Once people start interacting, you need to make use of your best contact manager. Simply posting the link with a short description of the event can help boost interest. If you have four social media accounts, make sure you are posting on all of them.

Step 5: Make It Easy To Enter

Finally, the next tip that every marketing professional should follow is make it easy to enter. Create a simple contest entry sheet that requires only the most basic information. If the form is too long, customers may become overwhelmed and choose not to enter. Generally, a name and email are the minimum requirements in most PR tools. If you choose to request any further information, make sure that it is necessary.

Hosting online contests can be difficult. However, with proper planning you can ensure that your business achieves success. As long as you have excellent prizes and post about the contest across social media, you will surely have a great turnout. Be sure to measure your target goal as you go along so that you can see how effective your online contests are.